WAUSAU - As a preseason exercise this year, members of the D.C. Everest football team wrote an essay on why they would be an effective leader for the Evergreens.

Stephen Paoli had a direct message for his teammates in what he wrote.

"My answer was, 'I am ready to put everything on the line for you guys and I know you would do the same for me. I'm going to help you be better and you are going to push me, too,'" the Evergreens senior said.

The Everest running back lived up to those words as he rushed for 1,449 yards and 18 touchdowns on 213 attempts this fall and helped his team reach the WIAA postseason. His season was capped Friday morning at the Wausau Country Club as he was named the recipient of the Win Brockmeyer Memorial Award as the top senior football player in the Wausau area.

The award, started in 1996 and named in honor of legendary former Wausau football coach Win Brockmeyer, honors players not only for their outstanding play, but also the character the individual demonstrates both on and off the field.

Paoli, who led the Valley Football Association-North Division in rushing, is the first Everest recipient of the Brockmeyer in 15 years and received a $2,000 scholarship for the award. Newman Catholic quarterback Jake Gajewski, Wausau East lineman Landon Krueger and Wausau West lineman Brady Lenz were also finalists for the award and all three received a $500 scholarship.

Coaching staffs from the four Wausau area schools nominate a player and a selection committee determines the overall winner from the finalists.

"At the end of last season, I really would not have expected to win the Win Brockmeyer Award. It wasn't exactly the season I had hoped for," said Paoli, who saw varsity time but didn't start last year as a junior. "But if you want to be good, you've got to be willing to put in the work. Not only that, but you have to be surrounded by guys who are also willing to put in the work. I was lucky and fortunate enough to have a team that supported me and helped me achieve what I have."

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Evergreens senior Stephen Paoli received the honor as the top senior football player in the Wausau area in a ceremony Friday morning
Tim Johnson/Daily Herald Media

Everest coach Luke Coenen said Paoli possesses great vision for running lanes and also the abilitiy to make sharp cuts. Paoli averaged roughly 146 yards rushing per game, and Coenen said he was able to not only hit the big runs, but also gain the tough yards when Everest was facing a third-and-1.

The Evergreens rushed for 243.2 yards per game this fall.

Paoli was a first team all-VFA-North Division and a honorable mention Associated Press all-state selection. He added a final postseason award with the Brockmeyer.

"It means a lot," Paoli said of the Brockmeyer. "There's a lot of good players and good people from the community who have won it in the past. It means a lot, not only just to win the award but to be a representative from Everest. It really means a lot to me and hopefully I can help impact the community in a positive way also."